「群英會」： 〈埃俄羅斯〉中知識分子群像

“OMNIUM GATHERUM” —Representations of the Intellectuals in “Aeolus”

無可否認，知識分子在現代愛爾蘭歷史扮演重要角色。詹姆斯．喬伊斯在作品中寫入不少知識分子。《尤利西斯》的〈埃俄羅斯〉一章描繪隸屬於知識階層的新聞記者、律師與教育家。然而，原本應該獨立且拒絕服從、身為人民良知、向權勢說真話的知識分子形象在此章嚴重扭曲。這些都柏林人非但未成為良知，反而敗壞國家精神：其無所事事、吹噓空談、貪杯酗酒以及留戀懷舊不僅造成其個人的挫敗與失意，更影射所有知識分子的頹廢墮落。緬懷過往而不積極創新，致力於仿效挪用而不願自行創造，這些所謂「人才」完全辜負其名。鋪陳這些「人才」以對比其筆下的主人翁，喬伊斯一方面批判這群知識分子的腐敗，另一方面也與深刻影響現代愛爾蘭社會的知識群英對話，並且重新思考知識分子的定位。

Intellectuals, admittedly, have dominated central parts in the pages of modern Irish history, and James Joyce incorporates a diverse array of intellectuals into his texts. The “Aeolus” episode in Ulysses depicts members of the professional intelligentsia in journalism, law, and education. However, the picture of the independent and nonconforming intellectual functioning as the conscience of the people and speaking truth to power seems gravely distorted in “Aeolus.” Instead of acting as society’s conscience, these Dubliners corrupt the national spirit: their idleness, flatulence, alcoholism, and nostalgia result in failure and unfulfillment, and, more grievously, signify the degeneration of the intelligentsia. Retrospective rather than innovative, dedicated to the borrowed rather than the self-created, these “talents” fail to live up to their calling. In contrast with Joyce’s portrayal of his protagonists, his depictions of these “talents” offer critiques of the corruption of certain intellectuals, his dialogue with those who exercised profound influence on modern Ireland, and his rethinking of the role of the intellectual.